You'd think it's just about knitting and travel, but it's really about life, love, faith...and food

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Arroyo Shawl from Yarn Shop and More - Day 2

"Lord, grant me the serenity to accept my stitch markers..."

Dramatic personality that I am, I’ve always loved the show-off qualities of lace and cable knitting. They look like you’ve got ninja-level skills (and in some cases that’s exactly what you need), but they don’t always require huge doses of concentration to get a great result. Oh, I enjoy a challenge, but I love a lace pattern that makes good use of a do-able repeat. A pattern that won't force me to have my eyes glued to the chart, living in fear of my next botched yarn-over. I also like having every other row being all purls--even though I hate purling--so I can catch my breath.

Long-time DestiKNITters will know I’ve made friends with stitch markers to fill the gaps in my questionable attention span. My favorite are these small black ones made especially for lace and sock knitting. They discretely mark my repeats without feeling like brightly colored training wheels on my needles. Sure, I could eyeball it and risk a host of mistakes, but I’m more interested in fun than integrity where my knitting is concerned. I do the same with high-volume cast-ons; I could count in my head, but we all know it’s a risky business.